Former Southold bank employee pleads guilty to felony charge

The woman accused of stealing more than $35,000 while working at a local bank has pleaded guilty to a felony charge, according to Suffolk County District Attorney spokesman Bob Clifford.

Sara Hando, 28, appeared before Judge Fernando Camacho in Suffolk County Criminal Court in Central Islip Aug. 2 and her sentencing was adjourned for one year after she pleaded guilty to the original charge of third-degree grand larceny, Mr. Clifford said in an email.

“She has paid $20,000 in up-front restitution and is required to complete 420 hours of community service and pay an additional $16,999.87 over the next year,” Mr. Clifford said. “If Ms. Hando fails to make the payments, she will be sentenced to a period of incarceration in an upstate correctional facility.”

Judge Camacho will check that she’s in compliance every two months, Mr. Clifford added.

Ms. Hando is accused of stealing money from a customer’s account while employed at Capital One in Southold between 2012 and 2013, officials said.

She was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department at her home in Los Angeles, according to a Southold Town police press release issued July 6. A Suffolk County grand jury handed down an indictment June 18 and the Suffolk County Police Fugitive Squad transported her to the Southold Town Police Department for processing, officials said.

Her attorney, Jonathan Manley of Hauppauge, has said they’ve been working with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office since Ms. Hando was arrested in California and she waived her rights to formal extradition proceedings.

“We’ve been working diligently with the DA’s office since we were notified of these charges, to resolve the situation quickly and fairly,” Mr. Manley told The Suffolk Times in July. He wasn’t immediately available for comment Tuesday.